In Microsoft Windows, how do I modify the screen saver settings?

Note: Screen savers that display moving images to prevent "burned in" images on the screen are unnecessary on modern monitors, and use more electricity than having your screen go blank when you're not using your computer. For more about electricity use, see How can I minimize my computer's impact on the environment? To set your computer to go to sleep or turn off the display, see In Windows 7, Vista, or XP, how do I change the power management settings?

In Windows, to modify the screen saver settings, follow the appropriate steps below:

Note: If this doesn't match what you see, refer to About navigation settings in Windows.

Windows 7 and Vista

1. From the Start menu, click Control Panel.
   
   
2. In the Control Panel, click Appearance and Personalization.
   
   
3. Under Personalization, click Change screen saver.
   
   
4. In the "Screen saver" section of the resulting window, from the pull-down menu, select your desired screen saver. Click Apply.
   
   
5. You also have the following options:
   
   
   • To preview your new screen saver, click Preview.
   • To change the time it takes for your computer to go into screen saver mode, use the up or down arrows next to the "Wait" field. To save changes, click Apply.
   • To edit the text of a text-based screen saver, click Settings... . In the resulting window, you can edit the screen saver text, change its color and size, and edit the movement and timing of the text on the screen. To save changes, click OK to close the Settings window, and then click Apply in the Screen Saver Settings window.
   
   
6. When you are finished, click OK at the bottom of the Screen Saver Settings window to exit.

Windows XP

1. Right-click the desktop and, from the menu that appears, select Properties.
   
   
2. In the Display Properties window, select the Screen Saver tab.
   
   
3. From the "Screen Saver" list, select the desired screen saver. To set the advanced settings, click Settings... . To set a password, check Password Protected. In the "Wait:" box, set the delay time.
   
   
4. To preview the new settings, click Preview.
   
   
5. To save your changes and exit, in the Display Properties window, click OK.

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